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Original poster

Husband and wife as head and bursar

21 replies

Klingyston · 20/03/2012 22:11

my children go to a prep school with a headmistress. The bursar is retiring and we have just been told the new bursar is to be her husband . He appears to have the right qualifications. Is this something that often happens? Is it legal? Is it ethical? We also frequently have the chair of governor's company providing booksales at school. When short term jobs become available they often are not advertised but go to parents.Anyone had anything similar at their school?it just all seems a bit cosy to me.

OP posts:
kensingtonia · 20/03/2012 22:38

My kids went to a private school where the headteacher was also the bursar. She was the proprietor and operating the school as a sole trader. She did employ parents in the school from time to time - not always happily!

It entirely depends on the basis on which the school operates i.e. trust, sole trader, company etc.

stealthsquiggle · 20/03/2012 22:42

It is, in all probability, a private company. They can therefore do what they want. Employing parents and educating the children of staff are more or less the same thing, really, and both are very common.

mummytime · 20/03/2012 22:50

I have known a school like this, the last one of the owner/head Preps around here. However the Head was prosecuted for having spent school money on cars and stuff, so its now under new ownership and run rather more normally.
However I do known several schools (not just private) who don't normally/always advertise jobs.

TalkinPeace2 · 20/03/2012 22:53

Private schools are charities or companies
if the trustees or shareholders are happy then so be it

at my junior school the current head teacher inherited the role from her mother ....

thisisyesterday · 20/03/2012 22:53

ds1's school is run by a husband/wife team. he manages the business side, she is the headteacher.
their daughter is a reception teacher and their son is a music teacher!

it all works rather well thus far...

gelatinous · 21/03/2012 10:08

Bursars wield an enormous amount of power in most private schools, so a head and bursar in one family does rather leave the overall power balance rather skewed imo. I can see why you are uneasy but I think it's OK legally and may work OK if they're both good, but I think it's an inadvisable setup.

On employing parents, if they are struggling to pay fees then it's in the school's interest to employ them, so I think this is rather more common. I would still think advertising the posts would be preferable/more responsible as they need to balance the need/desire to help struggling parents with the obligation to run the business most effectively by employing the best person.

Original poster
Klingyston · 21/03/2012 11:28

thanks everyone - I must say it feels a little odd

OP posts:
Bluestocking · 21/03/2012 11:49

TalkinPeace2, I know of a school where the head took over from her mother - wonder if it's the same place or if this is a widespread phenomenon?

TalkinPeace2 · 21/03/2012 12:00

Bluestocking
There is only one Flavia - but there might be other schools that have done it :-)

Klingyston
I suspect its more common in boarding schools - as he spouses of staff are often on site anyway - why not use them ....

kilmuir · 21/03/2012 12:04

Why would it be illegal

Bluestocking · 21/03/2012 12:09

Different school! I suppose if a school is a family business, you'd expect it to be run in the same way that many family businesses are run - including handing the business on to a son or daughter, and employing spouses.

MrsMcEnroe · 21/03/2012 12:19

There's a private school near our house where the headmaster's wife is the school nurse/counsellor/in charge of pastoral care or something ....

ALLEGEDLY he left his previous school because he had an affair with a parent, and his wife followed him to the new school in order to keep an eye on him ...

ALLEGEDLY.

This school is not a family business - I think it's run as a charitable trust.

Back in the Dark Ages I attended a small private primary school that was owned jointly by the two headmistresses. It was a wonderful old-fashioned place where each child had a vegetable patch, the teachers' dogs and cats joined us in lessons, and there was a canary called Busby who sadly passed away (he fell off his perch, stone dead) right next to me during a maths lesson when I was 7 or 8 years old ...!

Anyway, I digress Wink

There are several husband-and-wife teams working at my DH's school (private), but I'm pretty sure that they all joined the school when they were single and met via the job (including the two couples who effectively wife-swapped). You couldn't make it up! Over the past few years several spouses of employed teachers have applied for jobs but none of them has been appointed, so I don't know if the headmaster is moving towards a policy of not employing spouses ...

MrsMcEnroe · 21/03/2012 12:20

Re. advertising the posts - I'm pretty sure that state schools have to advertise all jobs even if they already have a candidate in mind, but I don't believe that private schools have to do this (although most schools over a certain size will do so anyway).

crazymum53 · 22/03/2012 09:18

If the school is run as a family business then this is fine. They may have invested some of their own money in the first place.
If the school is run as a charity then they would need permission from the trustees to do this and depending on charity size there may be Charity Commission rules to follow about employment.
In state schools governors business interests have to be declared but this may not apply in private schools.
In many state schools posts such as SMSAs and cleaners are advertised on the school newsletter first but teaching and TA posts are advertised on LEA vacancy bulletin then local press.

Swed · 22/03/2012 09:21

Can you please name and shame the school? Grin

Northey · 22/03/2012 09:26

No shame about it, swed! Though by all means name, OP!

MoreBeta · 22/03/2012 09:26

There are a lot of incidences of both parents working in DSs private school where their children also attend. They get a big fee reduction.

A male Head and wife as secretary is very common.

It also increasingly happens in universities where a university will get a top academic to come to them by also offering his/her partner a top job as well. They usually have the right qualifications but the two job offers are clearly linked.

Northey · 22/03/2012 09:27

Well, no necessarily shame, I mean. Could equally be dodgy as hell :o

crazymum53 · 22/03/2012 13:42

There could be advantages in terms of stability of leadership. A local state school has had more than one Head teacher leave because they have had to relocate to a new area for their partner's job.

Turniphead1 · 22/03/2012 15:14

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Mutteroo · 24/03/2012 11:59

All state schools must advertise, but there are ways to ensure that these adverts ar only viewed by a select few. I've seen many TA roles in particular only advertised (newsletters, flyer and/or on council website) for seven days. Was told by an old retired HT that if you spot one of these, there's a strong likelihood that an applicant has already been earmarked. Not illegal practice, just sneaky.

Re: Head's spouse working at private school. At my son's prep school, the he HT's wife was also the school matron. At his senior school, the ex HT's wife was also the bursar. Totally different rules for engaging staff in private schools. Unfair, but a great way to sometimes save costs.

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